Authorities in central New York are taking another look at disturbing allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a former student in a gang rape.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told ABC News that prosecutors are weighing potential criminal charges after details from a civil lawsuit filed by the survivor drew widespread attention online.
The complaint says the woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was pressured to take drugs before being assaulted and raped by multiple men at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The defendants named in the suit are Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.
According to the lawsuit, Newell allegedly encouraged other fraternity members to participate, sending a Snapchat message to a group called “Chi Phi Actives” that read “free p—y.” A screenshot of the alleged message was included in the filing.
Van Houten said, however, that the account presented in the civil lawsuit is “dramatically different” from the statement the woman gave investigators after the alleged sexual assault.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Is Crip Mac a legitimate member of the Crips gang and is he disabled? Find out what happened to him.
“It’s our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe’s cooperation,” Van Houten told ABC News.
The district attorney said prosecutors want to determine whether new evidence has emerged since November 2024 that could alter their earlier evaluation and support a finding by the grand jury that criminal conduct occurred.
Thomas P. Giuffra, the attorney representing Jane Doe, challenged Van Houten’s characterization of her account. He also said investigators never conducted a follow-up interview with her, including with a professional trained to handle sexual-abuse cases.
“In my experience, speaking with an abuse survivor requires delicacy, understanding and specialized training. An average University Police officer would not have these skills. It would be the role of a specially trained detective or district attorney. However, Ms. Doe was never contacted by anybody with those skills,” Giuffra told ABC News.
Van Houten did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
